Tuesday, June 28, 2016

If you compare these chocolate energy bars to similar
fruit/nut bars sold at the store, I think they taste better, are nutritionally
superior, and probably cheaper to make at home. The only problem is they look
so good.

These look like fudge brownies, and so it does take a
millisecond for the brain to process that they’re not going to taste like fudge
brownies. Having said that, they really are delicious, and satisfying in a
non-decadent, but still chocolaty way.

Try your hardest to find Medjool dates, but if you can’t,
any dried date should work, as long as it’s soft and sticky enough. If the ones
you’re using seem too hard and dry, simply soak them in water until they soften
up a bit.

Beyond the advantages I’ve described already, you also have
the freedom to use any combination of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits you’d like.
There’s about a million ways you can go, and I expect to hear about any particularly
brilliant combinations. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Friday, June 24, 2016

For something called “cooked cream,” there’s very little
cooking involved here. Actually, there is very little anything involved here.
If you can somehow manage to start your panna cotta the day before you want to
eat it, this classic Italian recipe is about as simple as it gets.

As long as you keep the same basic gelatin to creamy liquid
ratio, you can flavor this any way you want. I’ve had them scented with
everything from Earl Grey tea to cardamom, so feel free to play around. Same
goes for the proportion of buttermilk, which can be increased for a tangier
version.

One thing I should have mentioned is not to put the plastic
wrap on while they’re still warm. It looked like I wrapped mine immediately,
but I actually let them cool before putting them in the fridge. It’s not a huge
deal, but if you put the plastic on warm, you’ll get condensation, which will
then drip, and wreck that perfectly pristine surface.

This is so perfect in the summer, and not just because it’s
easy and refreshing. All that amazing seasonal fruit gives you the perfect
reason…excuse…to make these easy treats. I hope you give this panna cotta
recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

I’m not crazy about the name for this recipe, but I honestly
didn’t know what else to call it, and I blame Twitter for that. Allow me to
explain. I saw a photo on there of what I thought was a burrata sitting in a
pool of green gazpacho soup, but after a closer look, it turned out to be salsa
verde.

That does sound pretty good, but due to the mistaken
identity, I was now fixated on the idea of serving this fresh, extra-creamy
mozzarella in a bowl of ice cold, cucumber and herb-based gazpacho.

Except, I wanted the cheese to be the star of the dish, with
the soup acting almost as a sauce. I thought of calling it something like,
“Burrata in a Swamp,” but that didn’t pass the wife test, so long story short,
I went with the search engine friendly name you see at the top of the post.

I really wanted a thin, light texture to play off the gooey
cheese, so I didn’t add any bread, and also strained it through a fine sieve.
The gazpacho seems colder, and more intense this way, and in my opinion works
better than a thicker version would. So, whether you’re going to do this with
the cheese or not, I really hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredient for 4 portions “Gazpacho Verde” with Burrata:

8 ounces burrata cheese (1/4 cup per serving)

3 cups sliced English cucumber (about one large)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons picked fresh oregano leaves

1 cup packed picked basil leaves

1/4 to 1/3 cup seasoned *rice vinegar, to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup water, plus more as needed

*If using regular rice vinegar, season to taste with salt
and sugar. You can also use white wine or sherry vinegar, and do the same.

Friday, June 17, 2016

I saw a picture of something called “potato stacks,” online
last year, on a blog called Home Cooking Adventure, and I thought to myself,
those sure look a lot more like roses than stacks.So, long story short, I
stole the idea, and now that it has a much more social media-friendly name, I
fully expect this to go viral.

The technique is straightforward, but make sure you season
the potatoes generously. I use about two teaspoons of kosher salt in this, and
along with the cheese, that seems to be just about right. Having said that,
taste for salt varies greatly from person to person, so remember what you used,
and adjust next time if need be.These would be great for entertaining, since you can make
them ahead, and keep them warm in the pan, or cool and reheat in the oven when
you are ready to serve. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

I once made a mini-pizza using a crumpet. No, I’m not
starting a limerick.Anyway, I toasted
it nice and crisp, topped it with sauce and cheese, and it really was not bad. So
I thought, what if this was much thinner, and made from the same ingredients as
pizza dough? After a few tests, this pourable pizza was born.

Besides being kind of fun to make, this method features a few
nice perks. There’s no kneading required, nor do you have to roll/stretch/spin
your dough into shape. While thick crust pizza is relative easy to form
at home, few can pull off stretching the dough really thin, so this is a very
easy way to achieve that.

Also, the great challenge with homemade
pizza is the under-cooked crust bottom, and this method allows for that crispy,
near-charred bottom you usually only get from a pizza oven. Once topped, I like
to finish under the broiler, but a 500 F. oven will also do the job nicely.

Please note, I’m not trying to replace
the classic method with this drippy dough, but rather offer a possibly
easier-in-some-ways alternative for your next pizza night. And yes, this does work for making thicker crusts. I hope you give this
a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 eight-inch pizzas:

3 cups (14 ounces by weight) *flour

2 cups warm water (105-110 F)

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

Note: Like I said in the video, use a whisk attachment, not a dough hook! You can also simply whisk this by hand for 5 minutes.

* I used something called double-zero flour or “00” flour, which
is an Italian flour used for pasta and pizza making. It is very finely milled,
and lovely to work with. If you can’t get or find, just use all-purpose.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Friday, June 10, 2016

I’ve been seeing savory, non-breakfast versions of Dutch Babies pop up on menus lately, and while I’m not sure that means it’s a hot new
trend, I figured I would get in on the ground floor with this amazing bacon
and asparagus version, just in case.

Above and beyond the ingredients, the most important thing
here is using a cast iron pan similar to, or better yet, exactly like, the
12-inch example seen herein. These relatively cheap and indestructible pans are
one of the best kitchen investments of all time, but if you don’t have one,
there is a Plan B.

You’ll have to do the bacon and asparagus steps in a frying
pan, and then transfer everything to a similarly sized casserole dish. Make
sure the sides are coated with your bacon fat, and then pour in your batter,
and bake as shown.

It will take a few extra minutes in the oven, but just simply bake it until it’s browned, and properly puffed. It won’t work as well,
but you should get similar results.Either
way, I really hope you give this wonderful bacon and asparagus Dutch Babya try soon.Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

As promised, here is my take on
Thai-style sweet chili sauce, or Nam Jim, if you want to sound cool. I do a
sort of hybrid between the cooked and fresh versions, and using this technique,
I think you get the best of both worlds.

If you can’t find these beautiful Thai
bird’s eye chilies, you can make this sauce with any other combination of
fresh, preserved, and/or dried chilies. Things like jalapeno, red Fresno, or
Serrano chilies work great, as does habanero. If it’s hot, give it a shot.

Above and beyond the array of
deep-fried treats you enjoy this stuff with at your favorite southeast-Asian
restaurant, it also makes an incredibly good sauce for grilled meats,
especially chicken and pork. Even the most insipid boneless-skinless breast
shines, once shined with this sauce.

And I wasn’t kidding about the fish
sauce being mandatory. It really is a key ingredient here, so I’m counting on
you to either get some, or maybe sit this one out. As always, the amounts listed
below are what tastes “perfect” to me, but what do I know? So, be sure to taste
and adjust before you serve. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup of
Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 teaspoons sambal chili sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

6 cloves finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons finely minced Thai chili peppers (or more of a
less spicy pepper like Frenso, Jalapeno, or Serrano)

Saturday, June 4, 2016

I love Asian-style fish or shrimp cakes, but almost never order
them at restaurants, and the reason is a little thing called “food cost. “While
the best tasting, and textured shrimp cakes are made with pure shrimp, chefs
have always added some type of cheap, starchy filler to make the dish more
profitable.

Oh sure, they call it a “binder,” but make no mistake, it’s there
to stretch a pound of shrimp into two pounds of cakes. Home cooks have been known to do the same thing, for pretty
much the exact same reasons, but if you want to enjoy shrimp cakes in their
most pure form, I encourage you to give this a try. It only takes a few minutes
to put together, assuming you have a food processor, but even if you don’t,
they can still be yours.

You’ll just need to pile up your ingredients on a cutting
board, and using a large knife or cleaver, chop until you get a paste, which
will take less time and effort than you expect. Maybe five minutes of the ol'
choppa choppa, and you should have something very similar to what I achieved.

You can play around with the flavorings here, and it’s not a
bad idea to cook a small piece of the mixture to test for spiciness, salt, etc.
And please, don’t overcook these. They only need a minute or two per side. Even
if they are a little translucent inside, as they sit for a minute on the paper
towel, they will finish cooking through. I really hope you give these a try
soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 appetizer sized portions:

NOTE: I made mine with 24-ounce of shrimp, but since it’s generally
sold in pound units, these ingredients are for a two-pound batch

2 pounds raw peeled and deveined shrimp

1 rounded tablespoon finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves and stems

1 or 2 teaspoons sambal chili paste, or freshly minced hot
peppers

1 teaspoon kosher salt (you can always start with 3/4 teaspoon,
then cook some to taste, and adjust)

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

What started out as a frustrating attempt to test some pizza
dough, turned into what we’re calling salami bread. This 14-inch long loaf of
delicious serendipity was a revelation, and I didn’t even get to use it for
it’s most obvious purpose…to make the world’s greatest Italian submarine sandwich.

As I mention in the video, I’m not even sure I’d do a meat
sub with this, but instead may just load it up with lots of Italian cheeses, as
well as fresh and pickled vegetables. Then I’d find a picnic, where I could sit
back to soak in the sun, and the compliments.

There are hundreds of possible variations, so
that’s going to be your homework. Why wait until the unlikely scenario of
having pizza dough, but no toppings? Let’s be proactive. But no matter how you
roll, and I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one salami bread:

12 to 16 ounce ball of pre-made pizza dough

8-10 slices salami or other similar meat

1/4 cup tomato sauce, or other crushed tomato product

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to cover

scattering of freshly chopped herbs, to taste

olive oil, as needed

- Bake at 400 F. for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and
cooked through.